2010 FX50s... 36k miles... engine replaced!

santiagodraco

santiagodraco

Member
Car
2010 FX 50s
So, here's my brief but hopefully interesting story inspired by Toronto's similar situation (https://www.infinitiscene.com/search/1/?q=19716-Engine-is-dead-at-114000km-(70-000-miles)-2009-fx50). Mine was much less painful however.

Starting about a year ago I started noticing the FX would start somewhat rough, in cold or warm weather. After it did this it would continue to run poorly. No rhyme or reason why. I had an ODBII reader and saw that it was throwing a misfire code on cylinder 7.

I took the car into the dealership for the problem 3 times. In all cases no luck determining cause. It was intermittent enough to be hard to track down. Also if the car had been running long it would not have the issue on a restart.

Speculation time... bad sensor? ECU? Gremlins?

After some time I had another issue crop up. While driving the car would "stall" at some random time and I'd be forced to idle to a stop, turn off the motor, start it back up and be off and running again.

On one of these occasions I just happened to look down at my gauges at the right time and noticed... the temp gauge was pegged. The car was overheating and going into shutdown mode!

Ahah! Now we're getting somewhere! My first reaction was to check the coolant fluid. Full. If anything the reservoir was TOO full. Hmm, maybe a thermostat? But that didn't make much sense... if it was a tstat that wouldn't affect startup. Back to square one and the dealer.

So I take it back in armed with this new information. The dealer thinks tstat as well (in spite of the misfire code) and replaces it. No luck. Then they decide to check the number 7 cylinder. Wet spark plug. Wet with coolant.... diagnosis? Head gasket.

So they tell me about the head gasket and that it will be some time to repair. I'm thinking ok, head gasket, week or so. One week later I call back to check status. "It will be a bit more we're still waiting on parts.". "Parts?" I ask. Dealer "Yeah, they are coming in on the special truck." Now I'm confused. "A head gasket requires a special truck?" "No, the new engine requires the heavy truck."

I had a conversation with the mechanic (who I'd met before, good guy, competent and thorough) after I got the FX back a week later. As it turns out if I would have only had the misfire code thrown I'd have had a gasket replacement. However since it also threw the overheat code that immediately required a full engine replacement (aluminum block etc).

So i've had the FX back now for a couple of weeks. Did some other things to the FX since then, new brakes/rotors turned, new Viper 5706 with smart start, complete rewire of my sound system with HDMI tablet integration (getting ready for competition), full detail and aquapel window treatment and a free alignment from the dealer.

All in all it feels like a brand new car again and I couldn't be happier. Drives better than it has in at least a year, maybe more (hard to say how long the gasket was bad!) and with the alignment (needed after lowering the car) and the new brakes (last time I replaced them I didn't turn the rotors... bad move, lots of squeaks and chatter from warping).....it's a dream to drive again.

So I recommend to everyone that you blow you spring a headgasket leak on the coolant side and wait to throw an overheat code before bringing it in. You might get a brand new motor after 4 years of owning your car :D
 
Congrats!! Break her in good with the oil that's in there now.

On a side note, Infiniti will in most cases swap the engine out simply because they can guarantee it. Head gasket or not, there's damage beyond, possibly the rings and pistons are affected somewhat too, so its easier for them to swap a motor than to have your engine being worked on multiple times by people who aren't doing this on a regular basis.
 
Glad everything worked out.

It probably wouldn't bother you but for me if the engine was replaced in mine I would probably end up getting rid of it right after that. I'm a firm believer in that if you mess with those things, they are never the same again like how it came from the factory. Dealers will always cut corners putting stuff back, torqueing bolts to right specs, etc that the factory pays attention to when its first made.

Not saying that it wouldn't work out but it just wouldn't give me that piece of mind anymore. I've seen dealers screw up on something as simple as oil changes, so something as big of a job as changing an engine in our cars would always make me worry.

Sorry for the rant though lol. Me and my ocd problems haha. I'm glad it worked out for you and that it got resolved!!!
 
I have to confess I'm the same way, I've had my fair share of situations. Just knowing how the Japanese culture is, I'd trust them putting a car together better than someone here. Not to say there aren't any good mechanics but if they can't swap my dashboard and I have to later dismantle half of the trim to put it in right, how do I know they put my engine in correctly.

OP, don't let this discourage you, this is just us ranting :) you'll be fine!

Fire0nic3FX said:
Glad everything worked out.

It probably wouldn't bother you but for me if the engine was replaced in mine I would probably end up getting rid of it right after that. I'm a firm believer in that if you mess with those things, they are never the same again like how it came from the factory. Dealers will always cut corners putting stuff back, torqueing bolts to right specs, etc that the factory pays attention to when its first made.

Not saying that it wouldn't work out but it just wouldn't give me that piece of mind anymore. I've seen dealers screw up on something as simple as oil changes, so something as big of a job as changing an engine in our cars would always make me worry.

Sorry for the rant though lol. Me and my ocd problems haha. I'm glad it worked out for you and that it got resolved!!!
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Fire0nic3FX said:
Glad everything worked out.

It probably wouldn't bother you but for me if the engine was replaced in mine I would probably end up getting rid of it right after that. I'm a firm believer in that if you mess with those things, they are never the same again like how it came from the factory. Dealers will always cut corners putting stuff back, torqueing bolts to right specs, etc that the factory pays attention to when its first made.

Not saying that it wouldn't work out but it just wouldn't give me that piece of mind anymore. I've seen dealers screw up on something as simple as oil changes, so something as big of a job as changing an engine in our cars would always make me worry.

Sorry for the rant though lol. Me and my ocd problems haha. I'm glad it worked out for you and that it got resolved!!!
Click to expand...

To be quite honest I think that if anything it's a better car now than it was when I bought it. Obviously there WAS a defect from the factory, a rarely seen one, in the original motor. It runs better now than it ever had. The slight tapping sound I had (could have been valve related or anything) is also gone.

These vehicles are much more plug and play than they used to be. Replacing a motor is a lot less guesswork now than it was in the past. I understand how you feel but for myself I feel (both emotionally AND physically through driving) like I have a brand new vehicle. I'm going to get some use out of this new upgrade :)

I also still have 2 years and more miles than I need left on the powertrain warranty. No need to be concerned about the replacement.

---------- Post added at 08:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:52 AM ----------
Phantom said:
I have to confess I'm the same way, I've had my fair share of situations. Just knowing how the Japanese culture is, I'd trust them putting a car together better than someone here. Not to say there aren't any good mechanics but if they can't swap my dashboard and I have to later dismantle half of the trim to put it in right, how do I know they put my engine in correctly.

OP, don't let this discourage you, this is just us ranting :) you'll be fine!
Click to expand...

No worries. I happen to have direct experience with the mechanic that worked on my motor. I've even been in the dealer shop while he did work on the car and he is OCD about doing things right and to spec. I don't think I've ever seen a mechanic pickup and use a torque wrench more than this guy ;D

And to really put this in perspective... I had a car that had a motor ready to blow. It drove poorly. Stalled. Had a tapping sound from day one. Etc etc. So with a brand new motor (mfg much more recently than the car was) that runs like a top, no weird sounds, etc... I'd think it would be hard to be in anything other than a better position than I was ;D
 
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congrats on getting this resolved.

santiagodraco said:
To be quite honest I think that if anything it's a better car now than it was when I bought it. Obviously there WAS a defect from the factory, a rarely seen one, in the original motor. It runs better now than it ever had. The slight tapping sound I had (could have been valve related or anything) is also gone.

These vehicles are much more plug and play than they used to be. Replacing a motor is a lot less guesswork now than it was in the past. I understand how you feel but for myself I feel (both emotionally AND physically through driving) like I have a brand new vehicle. I'm going to get some use out of this new upgrade :)

I also still have 2 years and more miles than I need left on the powertrain warranty. No need to be concerned about the replacement.

No worries. I happen to have direct experience with the mechanic that worked on my motor. I've even been in the dealer shop while he did work on the car and he is OCD about doing things right and to spec. I don't think I've ever seen a mechanic pickup and use a torque wrench more than this guy ;D

And to really put this in perspective... I had a car that had a motor ready to blow. It drove poorly. Stalled. Had a tapping sound from day one. Etc etc. So with a brand new motor (mfg much more recently than the car was) that runs like a top, no weird sounds, etc... I'd think it would be hard to be in anything other than a better position than I was ;D
Click to expand...

I agree with Aaron. You should unload it asap. dealer mechanics don't do engine swaps frequently. They do so many mistakes that you won't know about friend or not. I've come across so many it's not even funny, stories on this forum and not and experiences myself. This is not something they do frequently and you can imagine how even stuff they do do frequently they still mess up. Putting together an a/c hose, a simple thing like this, caused my whole a/c unit, compressor, etc toe fail after a year. I have posting about this. $1k-2k worth of work but my dealer covered it 100% even out of warranty because another Infiniti simply put that hose on wrong. Yes, a hose. I can give you more specifics if you want. This is just one of several stories I can give.

As far as defect in factory, again I would disagree. The factory manufacturing process at the nissan plan on these motors you can't get any better between one engine to the next. They are EXACT going through all sorts of tests. I have several friends I went to school with here at U of M that are in charge of engineering projects, including transmission plants and such and you'd be amazing the kinds of things they do as far as 99.9999% replication and testing. They can just within a few days put our engines in a situation of having been driven 1 million plus miles.

Most likely what happened was another component started failing in your car...like how you said your coolant was your first thought, maybe a sensor, etc. Maybe it only fails once a week for just a small amount. Components like these when they fail they do disastrous stuff to your engine and other components and VERY VERY hard to diagnose sources of the problem. You probably still have this problem in your car. Another reason to get rid of it asap. Just saying. Once your warranty is up, I wouldn't want to be worried that I have a dead car in a short 4 years because maybe a $10 part is failing once in a blue moon causing these issues. These engines are so sophisticated ran by so many sensors and computer components you have no idea. It's like a spaceship compared to other cars, but it's critical these electrical components, computers, sensors, etc work perfectly so that things like your engine, trans, etc last.

not trying to scare you, but I'm glad you posted not only for the community but also so that you can provide you things to watch out for as well.

good luck and thanks for sharing.
 
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This also reminded me of a story of a friend about a year ago that had a hyundai santa fe. Engine problems started happening although they tried to fix the cylinder, or gasket whatever I don't remember but they kept it awhile. Finally after replacing they started soon after more engine problems brought it in and this time they agreed to full engine replacement. They replaced the engine completely. It's his wife's car....she drove it for about 3 months and on the highway just randomly the whole car started on fire. She quickly swerved off to the side, ran out, and the whole car was engulfed. Obviously it was totaled...and with her quick actions she was safe. They are convinced it was due to the engine replacement or dealer work or other components that never got caught being the source of the issue. I can't remember now exactly, but from what I recall I think my friend said the insurance was going after the dealership but the dealership and then headquarters was involved and they shipping it to the main hyundai plant for investigation. Something about maybe the source of the issue coming from the mid section of the car above the exhaust, but not sure and not sure if he got more details. They are all careful what they say and stuff when people just want to point fingers at that point. Either way, they were planning on having the car for a very long time with a new engine and mother nature changed that abruptly for them. They don't buy hyundais anymore due to this experience which is unfortunately they had to go through because these are great cars....my mother recently bought an elantra and loves it.

Again, just want to share some stories....you know your situation much more than any of us, but that's what the community is about, sharing stories so we are best informed in every way.
 
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I'll be honest though as much as Nissan is great, they do have their issues here and there. I've owned a Maxima, first gen FX and now a second gen FX and there are some quality inconsistencies from car to car. It may be a switch, maybe be a caliper, could even be a motor but they do have inconsistencies. Luck of the draw as some say. Having a Toyota 4Runner as well I don't see these kinds of issues but of course each manufacturer has their pros and cons and it depends what you want. Toyota cheaps out on interiors and other areas.

All in all, you have a new motor, its better than what you had before and it will most likely go on longer than most components at this point. Having swapped engines amongst other components back in the Toyota Supra days, if you do it right, it will work just as great if not better.

Take care of it, don't mod anything surrounding the engine for now, get the oil changed at the dealer for the length of the warranty so that if something goes wrong (which I doubt) they won't have anything against you that you were the cause.

Must look sweet popping the hood open just to see that shiny new engine...did they replace the engine cover or kept the old one?

---------- Post added at 02:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:07 PM ----------

The problem we have these days is a combination of dealerships being greedy in turn hiring lower paid mechanics who can "somewhat" do the job as long as they can read the factory manual. If something goes wrong they have warranty that will cover the workmanship and parts. They'll never hold the mechanic or the dealership criminally responsible for their actions if someone dies. Sad system we live in these days. The they don't realize that they may have endangered someones life. Life once had a precious value on it, today, money is precious, lives don't matter.

This is why I'm so thankful that we have such an amazing group of members on iS. To see how we jump in and try to help one another is just...awesome!!

jdTrader said:
This also reminded me of a story of a friend about a year ago that had a hyundai santa fe. Engine problems started happening although they tried to fix the cylinder, or gasket whatever I don't remember but they kept it awhile. Finally after replacing they started soon after more engine problems brought it in and this time they agreed to full engine replacement. They replaced the engine completely. It's his wife's car....she drove it for about 3 months and on the highway just randomly the whole car started on fire. She quickly swerved off to the side, ran out, and the whole car was engulfed. Obviously it was totaled...and with her quick actions she was safe. They are convinced it was due to the engine replacement or dealer work or other components that never got caught being the source of the issue. I can't remember now exactly, but from what I recall I think my friend said the insurance was going after the dealership but the dealership and then headquarters was involved and they shipping it to the main hyundai plant for investigation. Something about maybe the source of the issue coming from the mid section of the car above the exhaust, but not sure and not sure if he got more details. They are all careful what they say and stuff when people just want to point fingers at that point. Either way, they were planning on having the car for a very long time with a new engine and mother nature changed that abruptly for them. They don't buy hyundais anymore due to this experience which is unfortunately they had to go through because these are great cars....my mother recently bought an elantra and loves it.

Again, just want to share some stories....you know your situation much more than any of us, but that's what the community is about, sharing stories so we are best informed in every way.
Click to expand...
 
jdTrader said:
congrats on getting this resolved.

I agree with Aaron. You should unload it asap. dealer mechanics don't do engine swaps frequently. They do so many mistakes that you won't know about friend or not. I've come across so many it's not even funny, stories on this forum and not and experiences myself. This is not something they do frequently and you can imagine how even stuff they do do frequently they still mess up. Putting together an a/c hose, a simple thing like this, caused my whole a/c unit, compressor, etc toe fail after a year. I have posting about this. $1k-2k worth of work but my dealer covered it 100% even out of warranty because another Infiniti simply put that hose on wrong. Yes, a hose. I can give you more specifics if you want. This is just one of several stories I can give.

As far as defect in factory, again I would disagree. The factory manufacturing process at the nissan plan on these motors you can't get any better between one engine to the next. They are EXACT going through all sorts of tests. I have several friends I went to school with here at U of M that are in charge of engineering projects, including transmission plants and such and you'd be amazing the kinds of things they do as far as 99.9999% replication and testing. They can just within a few days put our engines in a situation of having been driven 1 million plus miles.

Most likely what happened was another component started failing in your car...like how you said your coolant was your first thought, maybe a sensor, etc. Maybe it only fails once a week for just a small amount. Components like these when they fail they do disastrous stuff to your engine and other components and VERY VERY hard to diagnose sources of the problem. You probably still have this problem in your car. Another reason to get rid of it asap. Just saying. Once your warranty is up, I wouldn't want to be worried that I have a dead car in a short 4 years because maybe a $10 part is failing once in a blue moon causing these issues. These engines are so sophisticated ran by so many sensors and computer components you have no idea. It's like a spaceship compared to other cars, but it's critical these electrical components, computers, sensors, etc work perfectly so that things like your engine, trans, etc last.


not trying to scare you, but I'm glad you posted not only for the community but also so that you can provide you things to watch out for as well.

good luck and thanks for sharing.
Click to expand...

At the end of the day it's all about numbers. I doubt any of us can really say how many engine replacements lead to issues down the road. I can vouch though that a brand new car lead to engine failure from the factory in my case and that's a bad statistic. I have never seen a replaced engine fail so so far I'm ahead of the game! I'm not discounting the warnings, I appreciate them for what they are.

I won't be offloading the car any time soon however. I'm happy with the replacement engine. I'm also pretty technically savvy so I'll be trusting but verifying. I regularly check for thrown ODBII codes, I inspect and often pull the engine trim to clean and inspect. I'll be even more diligent now - obviously!

I'll post as time progresses and let everyone know how things are doing with the FX. I've got a long trip starting so I'll be putting some miles on the car. Already have a bunch of city miles on the new motor and so far so good!

---------- Post added at 12:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:58 AM ----------
Phantom said:
Must look sweet popping the hood open just to see that shiny new engine...did they replace the engine cover or kept the old one?
Click to expand...

Same trim. To be honest my engine compartment probably looked cleaner/better than the new ones on the lot lol ;) I detail on the side and I keep the engine bay spotless, almost top to bottom. So the trim is in perfect condition (as was the engine itself, all visible parts actually!).

But yes I love seeing the new engine... even just knowing it's new AND better than the old one... as well as spotless!

Tip for those of you wanting to keep your bay looking amazing. Buy some cans of "Black2Black" from Chemical Guys. Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UCZBJU/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This stuff is amazing. It's a clear spray polymer type solution that will make your black trim (I use it on the engine bay trim, underside exterior trim, inside black/graphite trim) and nothing looks better. NO odor and NO mess. Just spray it on, use a cloth to distribute evenly (I use the same cloth for this so it is slightly saturated) and let it sit for a bit. Then come back and lightly buff. You'll love it I guarantee it ;)
 
Thought I'd report back in on how things are going after the engine replacement. I've driven the car about 5k miles since then. Been out to California and back (to Austin) so a combination of city and highway. Had one issue.... they missed tightening one bolt enough on the front steering assembly which caused the car to drift left periodically (very annoying) but that's since been fixed. So after having that adjustment made (and they went over everything) it's a tight as can be. No engine issues (far from it) or anything related.

Overall now the car drives like new. Much better than it had in recent memory since for some time I had that misfire issue on cylinder 7 on the old engine. I have fallen back in love with the car.

Hopefully no issues will appear but for now things look good! Will report back periodically. :)
 
Good to hear.

Out of curiosity, given your detailing background, is black2black better than mothers back to black?
 
The thing I like about the Chemical Guys product is that it's MUCH easier to apply and doesn't leave a messy residue behind. I use it on all my trim, the dash/panels and in the engine compartment. After spraying it on you only need do a light wipe with a cloth to buff it. You could even avoid that if you'd like.

With the gel/liquid based products there's a lot more care needed to get a consistent look.

I'm not an expert on how the products might "protect" the material over long term use. My perspective is in ease of application, look after application and longevity of the application. In all of these the CG Black to Black is very good. Once you use it you'll fall in love with it I think.

Another aspect of it is that let's say you just want to give your body trim an update. Just grab the can, walk quickly around the car spraying the trim, and you are done. Super easy.
 
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